tuluum's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep It Real! Oh wow i'm #2 on MSN for my entry "Sluts In Santa Outfits" how cool is that? :) *** Hip-Hop Fad-Followers Missing The Whole Point Music of individuality diluted by endorsements, corporate rip-offs by Tonya Jameson A couple of Christmases ago, my brother and I argued over boots. He wears Timberlands. I wear Dr. Martens. He challenged my blackness since I refused to spend $100 for Timberlands, the brand of choice among many hip-hop fans. For me, it's about durability and comfort; I paid $100 for Docs I'd worn since 1993. I explained that being black doesn't mean you have to be like other hip-hop fans, that you have to wear Timberlands. Recent studies that show more young African Americans are drinking champagne reminded me of that Christmas argument. Knowing my brother, if I show up at Christmas dinner with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, he will tell me I should drink Moet, Cristal or Dom Perignon -- the preferred champagnes of Jay-Z, the late Notorious B.I.G. and Sean Combs. I love my younger brother, but I loathe the follower mentality that oppresses many hip-hop fans. Hip-hop was a culture of individualism and rebellion from the late '70s to the late '80s. Chuck D once called rap "the CNN of black people." Today, rap is the Home Shopping Network. Too many hip-hop fans mindlessly flock from one brand name to another, trying to be like 50 Cent or whoever else graces the cover of The Source and Vibe magazines. The wine industry is the latest beneficiary of brand-obsessed rappers who have traded in tales of street life to become living billboards for luxury items. Impressionable fans follow their whims, drinking Cristal and Moet, along with Courvoisier and Hypnotiq. They wear Air Force Ones, a bland tennis shoe, and stuff by Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Burberry. "Black people want to associate themselves with class, with taste, with wealth," said Atlanta rapper Cee-Lo. "That's why name brands are important." It's good to see young black celebrities enjoy the benefits of their labors and expose others to the high life. However, most hip-hop fans aren't millionaires and can't afford to waste money pretending to be ballers. What's worse is that we're wasting our money on someone else's fantasy: items mentioned in songs. Name-checking brands started out innocently enough in the mid-'80s. The biggest example was Run-DMC's "My Adidas," in which they use a pair of tennis shoes to tell the story of all the places they've been. It wasn't until Run-D.M.C. became famous that Adidas realized it could make money off the group. The athletic company gave the trio an endorsement deal. By the time Busta Rhymes released "Pass the Courvoisier" in 2001, mentioning products in songs felt fake. The cognac company didn't pay Busta for the song, but it raised sales of the cognac in the United States. The rapper's management company later signed a promotional deal with Courvoisier's parent company. Same thing happened for Nelly. His song "Air Force Ones" eventually landed him a signature shoe with Nike. Now, it's clearly calculated. Hip-hop is a $5 billion industry and companies want to tap the loyal fan base. A study by New Media Strategies found that 60 percent of consumers who consider themselves to be hip-hop fans said they are more likely to see films or buy products, clothes or video games if they feature their favorite hip- hop artist. Record companies know that many hip-hop fans are followers. Last year, a Fortune magazine article noted an Epic Records memo that offered to place products into the song lyrics of B2K and other pop artists for a fee. A representative from another record company recently told me her company's artists would no longer mention brand names without a contract with the owner of the brand. (The representative declined to be named.) At this rate, name-checking products in songs will be as organic as Kid Rock's rap phase. These days, fans don't know if they're imitating artists' real tastes or if their blind loyalty is being pimped to the highest bidder. "Making the world go around with all that influence, and ain't going nowhere," said Cee-Lo. Hip-hop fans have the economic clout to shape communities, to influence politics, but too many of us waste it trying to live in the fantasy world of music videos. Wake up. ************************************************************************* CLIX MORE LOVE MY WAY! ************************************************************************* 11:19 a.m. - Friday, Dec. 26, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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